Crisis in Michigan’s Messed-Up Mental Health System

Jack Lessenberry Politics & Prejudices

There is a crisis in mental health care in Michigan. A single mother had to wait for months to have her son hospitalized, even though he had repeatedly tried to kill her. A 19-year-old autistic, severely mentally ill man kicked an elderly man to death in an adult foster care facility. He needs help – but authorities could not find or agree on where to put him, and there is an increasing percentage of state prisoners are mentally ill, many severely so – and for them and society, prison is the worst and most expensive alternative. So how do we fix Michigan’s broken mental health system?